Introduction to Resisting Borders: Rethinking the Limits of American Studies, volume 8 of Macalester College\u27s journal Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities

Tapestries Editorial Collective, Macalester College

English

DigitalCommons@Macalester College

Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identitiesVolume 8Issue 1 Resisting Borders: Rethinking the Limits ofAmerican StudiesArticle 22019Statement of Purpose and BiographiesTapestries Editorial Collective, Macalester CollegeFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/tapestriesThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the American Studies Department at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Macalester College.For more information, please contact scholarpub@macalester.edu.Recommended CitationTapestries Editorial Collective, Macalester College (2019) "Statement of Purpose and Biographies," Tapestries: Interwoven voices of localand global identities: Vol. 8 : Iss. 1 , Article 2.Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/tapestries/vol8/iss1/2A Foreword from Our Senior Seminar  In 2013, the National Council for           the Association of American Studies, a           loosely organized academic association for         those engaged in the practice of American             Studies, made a divisive decision. The           council, against the desires of several past             Association presidents, voted to endorse a           resolution in support of the boycotts           against Israeli institutions in occupied         Palestine. This decision sparked a storm of             controversy to surround the association as           universities and members alike expressed         their disapproval of the decision. In our             Senior Seminar for American Studies, we           started off this semester looking at the             classic American Studies canon, which was           most recently rocked by Dr. Simon           Bronner’s scathing journal article “The         Death of American Studies,” in response           to the resolution passed in 2013. Bronner             1contends that because the field is so             interdisciplinary, it needs to avoid overly           political conversations and identity       politics. Those American Studies scholars         who study identity, resistance, and         community undermine, Bronner     contends, the fundamental organization of         the discipline. To Bronner, it is clear that the             culprit of the academic field’s downfall is             the more recently introduced       politicization and analytical subjectivity of         contemporary American Studies, that       faction who encouraged and fought for           1 Simon Bronner. (2018). “The Death of American Studies?” ​European Journal of American Studies​. the Association’s participation in the         boycott. Bronner further claims that,         during the era that included the 1968             Democratic National Convention riots       and the assassination of Martin Luther           King Jr., the American Studies Association           would have maintained stability had it           avoided stands on political issues external           to immediate professional concerns.       However, this led us to wonder: Which             political issues are actually external to the             professional concerns of American Studies         scholars and institutions? If the personal is             indeed political and American Studies         2claims to concern itself with ‘the study of               race, class, gender, and empire,’ then--as             3far as we can see--an analysis of             subjectivity and discussion around       politicized identities fits entirely within         the frame of American Studies. While we take seriously Bronner’s         arguments against the division of his           beloved discipline, we conclude that it is             in fact our moral responsibility to take             stances against the oppressive institutions         of our time. The ASA’s resolution in             support of the boycott and divestment of             Israeli institutions represents just such a           stance. In this journal, with our           scholarship and work, we each take           explicit political stances, recognizing that         our scholarship and academia at large do             not exist in a world apart from human               rights violations and systemic oppression.         2 Carol Hanisch. (1970). ​The personal is political​. 3 ​American Studies Association. (2016). ​theasa.net​.  It is our hope to create and reflect the type                   of work we believe American Studies           scholars must engage in; work which           grapples with this global political moment.           We envision a future American Studies           discipline that does not shy away from the               harsh and violent realities of occupation,           apartheid, and neocolonialism, and rather         confronts these violences head-on.  During the process of crafting our           final papers for our Senior Seminar class,             we found that many of our papers were               examining common themes of borders         and border crossings. This issue has always             been pressing, particularly in the land we             now call the United States of America. As               of December 2018, there is active violence             occurring at the US- Mexico border as a               caravan of 5,000 Central American         migrants begins to arrive within border           towns and cities. US President Donald           Trump is pressuring Mexico to block the             migrants before they reach San Diego.           Closer to our academic home in           Minnesota, Native nations are fighting the           Line 3 Pipeline that violates their treaties             and was approved without their consent.  At this violent border conflict, we           are actively witnessing the building and           reproducing of borders, both tangible and           intangible ones. These are borders         between countries, between races,       between classes, and between other         markers of social differentiation that are           often difficult to cross. Borders, as           theorized by Gloria Anzaldua, are more           than geographical between nation states;         borders divide people along lines of           perceived difference in accordance to a           power differential. It is these borders that             we are examining and in that           examination, working to breakdown. This         speaks to Mary Helen Washington’s ASA           presidential address, where she asks the           question, “What do we really study in             American Studies?” According to       Washington, American Studies is about         studying borders and those peoples         borders force into the margins - those that               are marginalized. In this address, she           4encourages that American Studies should         make room for change and we, as a class,                 agree with Dr. Washington’s approach.         We are also inspired by Claudia Rankine’s             convocation speech, where she spoke to us             about taking a stance. She explains,           “Whatever affects one directly affects all           directly.” Here is where we place our             scholarship, examining the margins and         the borders to help understand us all.             Furthermore, as made clear to us from our               disagreement with Dr. Bronner’s piece, it           is important we take explicit political           stances against these borders and the           violence and exclusion they create. Acknowledging our positionality is       an important piece of practicing ethical           scholarship. We in the American Studies           Senior Seminar come from different         genders, socioeconomic backgrounds,     races, and lived experiences, which all           affect how we see and move through the               world. We aim not to separate ourselves             4 Mary Helen Washington. (1998). “Disturbing the Peace: What Happens if you put African American Studies at the Center?” Presidential Address to American Studies Association, October 29, 1997 American Quarterly​.  from social issues, but to engage them in               dialogue that leads to action. In doing so,               remembering who we are, where we           come from, and how we fit into the               power dynamics of the country known as             the United States is necessary. To that             end, we must begin by saying that we               write these papers and engage with these             issues while occupying Dakota and         Ojibwe land. The colonial powers of           Europe and the US not only initially stole               this land, but continue to colonize this             land through dispossession and the         systematic theft of resources. As senior           American Studies majors and students of           Macalester, we call for more than a             recognition that this is Native land, but             the actual material return of this land to               Indigenous nations as a means of           decolonization, drawing upon the work of           Eve Tuck & K. Wayne Yang when they               assert “decolonization is not a metaphor.”  5We are a community of difference,           which means that we all have our own               positionalities that come with varying         degrees of privilege. Despite these         6different positionalities, we must       recognize that we all come from the             highly privileged space of Macalester. This           gives us access to academic advising,           databases, and the time necessary to think             about complex issues and produce         5 Tuck, E., & Yang, K. (2012). Decolonization is Not a Metaphor. ​Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society,​ ​1​(1), 1-40. Retrieved from https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/18630/15554. 6 Our positionalities shape the way we conceptualize and construct our papers, which we address in our individual papers.  self-invested work. As students at a private             liberal arts institution, our education         provides us with learning and economic           opportunities both in and outside of the             classroom that are not accessible to many.             In addition to this, we understand that the               work that we produce builds off of             scholarship and theories that others have           constructed before us. We are grateful for             these opportunities to grow and thrive           within our department and will strive to             use these tools to critically examine the             construction of borders and recenter         traditionally marginalized voices. We invite you to engage in this             work that, as individuals and a collective,             we have passionately crafted over the           course of the last 14 weeks. As students of                 race who, like everyone, constantly         interact with borders, we firmly believe           that for social change to occur, everyone             must engage in resistance. In producing           this body of work, our purpose was to               create scholarship that is accessible and           approachable. Social change and the         creation of a more just and liberated world               is an ongoing process; we see our work as                 one piece in a liberationary project paved             by the revolutionary thinkers who have           come before us. We hope you will join us                 in collective action to critique, fight, and             dismantle the borders that divide us.           Author Biographies  Maddie Schumacher ​(they/them) is a         graduating senior at Macalester College         from Madison, Wisconsin. They are an           American Studies major with a         concentration in Urban Studies, a minor           in Environmental Studies, and a particular           affinity for ceramics. They are very           interested in urban social policy,         movement theory, placemaking, and how         individuals express their identities. They         are so grateful to their queer siblings,             radical friends, amazing partner, and all of             the other people who understand.  Theodore Bennett Twidwell     (he/him/his) is a graduating senior at           Macalester College from Nevada City,         California. He will be graduating with a             double major in American Studies and           Educational Studies. Academically, Theo’s       interests include border studies,       liberationary education models, critical       whiteness studies, and localized histories.         As a first-generation college student, Theo           hopes to work in educational advocacy in             the future to help support others in the               same way so many have supported him to               and through graduation, all of whom           (family, teachers, professors, friends) he         thanks profusely.   Isabel (Izzy) P. S. Ryde (she/her/hers) is a               graduating senior at Macalester College         from Concord, Massachusetts. She is an           American Studies and Geology double         major. Her research interests include         hydrology; disability studies; women’s,       gender, and sexuality studies; and the           intersection of science and society. She           extends her thanks to those who have             helped her get to the cusp of graduating,               even when reaching this point was           uncertain.  Suzanna Jack (she/her/hers) is a         graduating senior at Macalester College         from Brookline, Massachusetts. She will be           graduating with an American Studies         major and minors in Music and           Geography. Her research and interests are           focused around Urban Studies with a           concentration on placemaking and public         memorials, public history, and late 19th           century constructions of nationalism in         the United States. She holds         unprecedented gratitude for her       professors, family, friends, fellow majors,         and every single person who has           encouraged her as a thinker, change           maker, and coffee drinker.   Sophie Nadler ​(she/her/hers) is a         graduating senior at Macalester College         from Piedmont, California. She is an           Educational Studies and American Studies         double major, with interests in youth and             family programming, comprehensive sex       education, and museum studies. She is           unsure of what her future holds, but             knows that as long as her wonderful             family and friends continue to support, she             will find happiness and success.     Lydia Koh-Krienke ​(she/her/hers) is a         graduating senior at Macalester College.         As an American Studies major with a             biology minor, she plans to attend           graduate school for a dual nursing and             masters of public health degree. While her             passions include bioethics and engaging         race in order to promote         culturally-competent healthcare, all she       really wants to do is eat her mom’s               traditional Korean food. She dedicates this           paper to her Grandfather, who         immigrated to the United States from           South Korea in order to escape war prison,               but would like to thank her family for               always being a constant in this           ever-changing world.  Madeline Schmitt (she/her/hers)     Madeline is a graduating senior at           Macalester College. She majors is         American Studies and has taken a variety             of Educational Studies, Hispanic Studies,         Political Science, History, and dance         courses. She is from Minneapolis,         Minnesota. She could not have completed           the project without the help of mentors,             friends, and family who helped with           processing ideas and editing in the final             days. She would like to thank family and               everyone involved in making it possible           for her to attend college with a supportive               community around her. Every person that           she has learned from—teachers, peers,         friends, and community members—has       helped her to grow in a multitude of               wonderful ways.   Luz María Ramírez Cruz is a graduating             senior at Macalester College from         Escondido, California. She is an American           Studies major also minoring in         Educational Studies and Studio Art. Her           current goal is to work in education             advocacy as to positively impact the lives             and schooling of students with similar life             experiences to her own. She dedicates this             project to her family and the endless             unconditional support they have shown         through the years. It is truly a privilege to                 spend life searching for purpose and for             this gift, ​les debo la vida y todo mi corazón                   Mamá y Papá​.   

Statement of Purpose and Biographies

https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1165&amp;context=tapestries

Statement of Purpose and Biographies

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

DigitalCommons@Macalester College